Campaigners seek to crowd fund judicial review after Gove green lights major development on South Bank
Local activists are seeking to raise funds for judicial review of Levelling Up Secretary Michael Gove’s decision to allow construction of a huge office building on London’s South Bank.
The project - nicknamed The Slab - is promoted by developers Lend Lease and Mitsubishi Estates and was given planning consent by the London Borough of Lambeth but then called in by Mr Gove, though he ultimately gave consent.
A Crowd Justice page promoted by Save Our South Bank said it had raised £1,195 towards a £10,000 target and that law firm Richard Buxton Solicitors had been engaged.
The campaigners said: “Plans for a vast office development, ominously referred to as ‘The Slab’ will loom over the skyline, poised to irreversibly alter the character of this beloved area.”
It would be built on the site of the former ITV Studios and near to the listed IBM and National Theatre buildings and be some 100 metres tall, comprising offices and some creative industries space.
They said Gove's decision was puzzling, “especially in light of his recent announcement prioritising housing on brownfield sites and repurposing disused office blocks for housing.
“This contradiction underscores the urgency of our cause and the need to hold decision-makers accountable for their actions.”
In his decision letter, Gove said the area had “a high priority for intensification of the site as a large brownfield development site.
“It is also within the South Bank, Bankside and London Bridge specialist cluster for arts, culture and entertainment. In terms of economy and culture, the [local plan] states that Waterloo is increasingly becoming a leading business district, while the [London plan] identifies the Waterloo CAZ retail cluster and the South Bank as having medium commercial growth potential.”
He said the project would deliver “significant employment generating opportunities for the borough, both through the construction phase as well as the operational phase of the development, and…these both carry substantial weight”.
Mark Smulian
